A solo exhibition titled ‘Fragments of Nostalgia’ by Hanoi-based artist Nguyen Tuan Cuong, one of the most respected contemporary lacquer painters in Vietnam today will open to the public with free entrance in the capital city from July 9 to August 9.

The artwork titled The antique bowl No.24 by Nguyen Tuan Cuong. Photo: kiettacnghethuat.com

The exhibition features 15 lacquer on wood paintings themed still life. Overstepping its own boundaries of the familiar serenity and stillness, Cuong’s practice this time has gone further than the subtleties in the technique or the poetry in the representation.

The lyricism has become more demanding while the narrative gets more compelling, the exhibition uncovers the interrelationships in space and time, provides the reflection on presences and absences, shapes and shadows in liminal space.

“With Nguyen Tuan Cuong’s paintings, we are inside an intimate and dusky interior. Forms seem to come into view but stay buried under the penumbra of Son ta (Vietnamese resin). The layers of canh gian (dark brown colour) lacquer become deep space while small still life objects are merely there to delineate the empty space within them and anchor our gaze. These domestic bowls, jars, and lanterns transport us to a time in the past,” artist Oanh Phi Phi stated.

The exhibition is part of Manzi’s art program supported by Goethe Institut. It is opened at Manzi Art Space, 14 Phan Huy Ich Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

Artist Nguyen Tuan Cuong was born in 1978. In 2001, he graduated from Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts. He is also a member of both the Vietnam Fine Arts Association and the Hanoi Fine Arts Association.

In light of the current Covid-19 developments, the exhibition is carried out under serious Covid-19 prevention and control measures. Visitors to the exhibition are urged to keep a safe distance, don face masks during the visit, and wash hands with sanitizer provided at the entrance.